The first time I went to Japan in 2007, I was struck by how many places only took cash. I planned to use my corporate credit card for almost everything except personal purchases and it turned out to be a tricky thing. Japan, at the time, ran on nothing but cash, swipe cards like Suica, or phone payments.
American phones, didn’t have contactless payment capability and only big chain department stores took cash. Forget trying to get a snack at 7-11 with a credit card. Luckily, Husband is great researcher and found the ATMs at the Post office work with American bank cards.
The Japan Post system has it’s own bank! The ATMs are easy to use if you need to make a cash payment in a hurry. Look for the T with a bar over it – every post office displays a sign with this logo.
When going to places like Loft or Tokyo Hands, payments were easy. Nowadays, even 7-11 takes debit and credit cards. While I am making an assumption, I’m pretty sure the switch to be more credit friendly has a lot to do with getting ready for the 2020 Olympics.
When you are shopping or trying to find a place eat that takes cards, look for the standard credit card logos on the door of the shop, at a booth at a convention, or by the register at a store. You should see all the same basic logos with a few that are Japan specific. Like this one for JCB:
Paying a cashier is the same paying by card as it is with cash. Make sure you use the same etiquette, every register has a little tray. Put your cash or card in the tray and let the cashier handle the money. The cashier will put all the paper slips for you to sign in the tray, with a pen, just like cash.
Digital payment systems for small businesses are booming as well. I didn’t have trouble using Samsung Pay in Japan on my phone. Even at C3 AFA, some artists in the market place were using Square payments. Artists on Pixiv also have more options, with Pixiv Pay. Line, the social network big in Japan, also does payments, but that appears to no longer be an option for Americans.
If you go – let me know if this was helpful in the comments below!